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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29470233">Fódlan Fight Club</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/astracrits/pseuds/astracrits'>astracrits</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Minor Violence, They are not a couple but they are fighting together</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:21:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,856</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29470233</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/astracrits/pseuds/astracrits</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It is the perfect, most boring day in Fódlan for the undefeated King of Grappling to put his plan into action. He's going to make tons of money, but a certain short brawler will make a grand entrance.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Balthazar von Adalbrecht | Balthus von Albrecht/Caspar von Bergliez</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fódlan Fight Club</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was one of the two fics I wrote for the Balthus zine on twitter!!! I had so much fun writing this and I'm so happy that I finally was able to write these two fighting mano a mano.</p>
<p>If you wish to follow me on twitter, my @ is @astra_crits :D</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The sun shone beautifully over Fódlan. The breeze felt like such a refresher for the heat that had been hitting the Monastery lately. Everybody walked through the premises, laughing, telling jokes and being as happy as they could be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Except that while it was a beautiful day, nobody had anything to do. Every student of Garreg Mach was bored. What good was a sunday off if there wasn’t anything interesting to do? Everybody hated it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Out in the town, three people were running some errands for Seteth. Dimitri, Marianne, and Caspar weren’t really the persons who were to do the job originally--it was Cyril, but the boy was swamped with work that the three of them decided they should help their friend. It wasn’t a fix for boredom, but at least they were doing something instead of just sulking around in the Monastery.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They walked through the market, Marianne was holding the list of groceries they needed to get, since neither Dimitri nor Caspar wanted to let her carry anything. “It’s just the crate of apples now and we will finish,” said the girl, her gaze dropped since she was feeling useless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Caspar stopped just a couple of feet away from her. “Great! I’ve been pulling this dumb cart around for a good while now, I just wanna get this back to the monastery and flop on my bed the rest of the day.” Doing errands for Seteth sounded great at first, but not anymore after he learned he would need to pull the cart of groceries around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dimitri felt this as well. “Truly, I commend Cyril for putting up with this labor every day on top of class stuff.” He and the others knew it seemed like more work than that, but at least the guy had earned a place in their class.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyway…” Marianne said, “We don’t have to put the crates in the carts, since they’re bigger. Cyril said to give this letter from Lord Seteth to those guys and they’ll deliver them.” She pointed at a stand of apples that didn’t look that big from their position.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She walked quietly to deliver the letter, while Dimitri and Caspar stayed a little behind, tired from pulling their carts. “You know, Dimitri, I have to say I didn’t think you’d be able to pull the cart this long. Ever since I switched to your class I’ve been wanting to measure your strength.” Ever the fighter, Caspar was as honest as they came.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dimitri nodded and smiled. “I must admit I wanted to gauge yours as well. I was surprised at first when you suddenly transferred but after coming to know you, I can tell you’re a valuable ally.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks! I still want to fist fight you, though. I’ve seen your strength in the battlefield, but I wanna see how you’ll fare against me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The prince nodded. “I admit I work better with a spear, but I accept your challenge.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marianne returned shortly after. “I think I’m done, we can go back now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Caspar yelled a cheer. “Aw yeah!! Now we can go back to… the Monastery… to do nothing…” He’d forgotten so quickly that he wanted to fight Dimitri.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The blonde chuckled in response. “We can always run more errands for Lord Seteth.” Everybody laughed at that. Dimitri was happy his attempt at a joke was successful.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Days in Fódlan were like that, beautiful, yet boring to a fault—if you didn’t know where to have fun, unlike some others. It was a journey of its own to figure out what to do in a day as uneventful as that one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the Monastery, a man with an open jacket and a bare chest walked out of the secret entrance of that hidden place, the Abyss. He was feeling bored out of his soul just as everybody else, but he ignored the orders of his “house” leader to stay in and decided to go out for the day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hell yeah! Lady Rhea isn’t here so I can go out!” said Balthus, his excitement loud and visible. “Man, I really don’t get why Yuri said I couldn’t come out, being here when she’s not around is so much fun!” He was pumping his fists in the air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite everybody not knowing what to do with their free day, Balthus was entirely different. He knew exactly what was going to happen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stretched, the feeling of his usual coat sliding along his smooth skin felt incredible that day. </span>
  <em>
    <span>The garden should be a nice place</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Balthus thought. The training center was way too small for what he was intending, so the garden was much better to gather a lot of expectators. A devious snicker came from his mouth, it was so much fun just thinking about what he was organizing, it was even hard trying to stay quiet about it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Balthus walked towards the gardens so quickly that the few people that saw him decided to follow suit—both because they were curious, and because a man as ripped as Balthus was such a sight you just couldn’t ignore it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>First, he inspected the ground for any big rocks that might be there, he didn’t want to trip and make a fool out of himself.. It was a tedious task, but one that had to be done. Next, he measured the space, a medium-sized circle would be far from perfect, and it would allow a lot of people to watch the whole spectacle; there was also a direct view from the second floor, so it was better.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! You there!” He pointed at a pair of people walking around. “You guys wanna make a small profit for what I’m about to do?!” The excitement in his voice was characteristically of him, though this time he was ecstatic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uhhh… sure?” the guy answered as he looked at the girl beside him. The two of them had never seen Balthus before, but it wasn’t like they were going to decline if they knew they were going to make some coin. “What do we have to do?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The garden was perfect because he could keep check of both entrances without missing anybody. “One of you go towards that entrance, and the other over there.” He quickly pointed to both sides, the two students making their way just as fast. “And charge a nice amount, alright?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Those two still didn’t know what was happening, but they did what they were told. When they stood there, they saw that the other students were beginning to gather around, so they stopped the entry momentarily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright!” Balthus took his coat off, throwing it in the air without regard for where it might have landed. A big part of the spectacle was that everybody needed to see his iron body that he trained so much for, eyecandy sure worked. “Who here wants to have a go against the mighty King of Grappling? Contenders enter for free, spectators will be charged!” He smiled cockily, everything was set now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who the hell are you?” a girl yelled from behind the crowd.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, around half of the students were asking the same thing, though some others were saying stuff like “he’s so HAWT!” and “I think I heard that name around somewhere.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Balthus wasn’t shocked about people not knowing who he was; it was all part of the plan: build your brand and let the money flow. “Like I said, I am the unbeaten King of Grappling. So, who wants to be the first one to test their might?!” He looked around, trying to find the first vic—subject, of his show. His gaze fixed on the perfect contestant. It was a tall guy that looked like a brawler, given by the size of his arms. “How about you?” He gestured at him. “If you win, you get a nice amount of money!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A bluff and a very risky move since he hadn’t a penny to his name right then, but Balthus was very sure that he would not lose his first battle. “Sure, a guy that’s this cocky shouldn’t be that good. All bark and no bite, right.” He sounded just as cocky, but he was certain of himself too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now, for the final thing. “Okay, I’m gonna give you guys this fight for free and then you all place your bets, good?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hell no! I am betting on the King!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No way! He’s a loudmouth, he’s gonna lose! I’m betting for the other guy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The crowd exploded in cheers and insults everywhere. It was exactly what Balthus wanted. He gave a look at the two guys that he got to help him and suddenly they knew what they had to do. One side would bet on Balthus and the other on the contestant.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Welcome to the Fódlan Fight Club,” Balthus muttered under his breath. He hadn’t thought of giving this thing a name, but after getting such a positive reception the name came to him instantly, it felt so appropriate.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The contestant put his fists up, smiling as cockily as Balthus did, if not more. “Get ready, dude. I’m gonna make you squirm!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The brawler lunged against the grappler. Balthus sidestepped and delivered a punch that knocked him out cold.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just like that, it ended.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a short moment of silence. Everybody was processing what just happened. The contestant was visibly big, visibly buff, and he had to at least have some skill, did Balthus really defeat him in just one punch?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The answer was received when everybody suddenly screamed and cheered for him. The fights were going to be amazing, there was no doubt about that. Everybody began paying the bouncer students with bags of coins and just like that, the whole garden turned into a ring.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Other students started making a line to fight Balthus, how could you pass the chance to go mano a mano against the mighty King of Grappling?! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was so hard to not watch either. Student after student crowded the gardens, it looked like a huge event now and it was all thanks to Balthus.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He snickered as he prepared to fight a new opponent. He never thought he would get that much reception. His friends back at the abyss knew what he was going to do—nobody approved, since they said it was a dumb idea and it would get Balthus in trouble. But no one stopped the fights, and no one would. Balthus made sure that he picked the specific day in which most of the faculty would be out or extremely busy to go and check the commotion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Balthus could be dumb sometimes, but when he had his mind set on something, his mind had no equal when devising plans.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After the third person that Balthus knocked down, someone decided to call for professor Manuela, being in charge of the medical ward, as well as being the only person who didn’t have anything to do that day either, she was bound to be in her office. Even if everybody was there for the money and the entertainment, there still had to be a designated healer to check on each of the contestants. Manuela would be the best candidate for this, and Balthus knew exactly how to handle that particular situation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She arrived after a few moments, every student parting to make way for her. “What is going on here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>None of the students dared answer the question, but none of them needed to, as Balthus was already making his way. “Oh, professor Manuela!” he said, making sure he patted his chest and abs, pretending to clean himself off of dirt that he didn’t have was part of the plan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And it worked. Manuela couldn’t stop looking at that ripped body. “Ah!” Then a blush came, she had to look away. “Are you the one who organized all this? I’m sure Lady Rhea won’t—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am! I was thinking of gathering some money doing what I do best. Maybe I can take you out on a nice date. Some drinks and a nice dinner with a steak, pasta, and a salad too!” Balthus was a sweet talker, and he knew exactly what to do with her. “I’ll even splurge for a dessert, I don’t think it’s going to damage that nice, slender figure of yours.” He threw in a smile to deal the finishing blow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My… aren’t you sweet, mister Albrecht?” Manuela cupped her left cheek as she continued looking away. “Well, you have a nice body yourself, I’m sure we can have some fun later.” She turned around, embarrassed but happy. Perhaps she had finally found the love of her life? Balthus was really handsome, and a man that exuded that much confidence was all the more sexy. “Be sure to bring the injured back to my office, alright? Have fun, everyone!” She left giggling, mumbling stuff to herself about some drinks and something else.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Balthus turned back towards the crowd, putting his guard up. “Alright, who’s next?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked at the two bouncers, their pockets were full of coins and they had bags that were starting to fill as well. This was one of his best ideas ever and Balthus was more than proud of himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Behind the gardens, Dimitri, Marianne and Caspar were returning from their duties. All of them wondered where most of the students were, since before they left, they noticed that most of them wandered about without doing anything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you hear that?” said Marianne, her gaze dropped to the ground, but her body standing towards the gardens.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dimitri turned to that direction, focusing on the noises coming from the gardens. “It sounds like… fighting of some sort.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After lugging around all that stuff, Caspar was more than done with everything, and that included trying to decipher what that sound was. “Well, why are we standing here? Let’s go check for ourselves,” he said, walking furiously towards the gardens.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Caspar, I’m very sorry you had to carry my part for me.” After leaving the town, Marianne was pulling a small cart herself on the way back, but she had to stop because she tripped. Dimitri was already pulling medium-sized carts on his own, so it had to fall on Caspar—who was pulling the bigger cart—to help his friend… and pull her cart too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t mention it,” he said, waving his hand in dismissal despite his slight annoyance. He wasn’t bothered by having to help Marianne, in fact, he was happy to do it. He was just very tired and bored and he felt really hot since he had to pull heavy stuff under the sun for a good while. “Let’s just go, okay?” He was eager to see if someone was fighting, that would help his boredom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The three of them walked to the gardens, slowly, thanks to Marianne’s slight injury. They could’ve said they were expecting something, but they never would’ve guessed that they would find a fighting ring right there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Caspar’s view was obstructed thanks to some of the taller students, he had to jump just to be able to see, and even then he couldn’t watch much. All he heard were the cheering screams of the crowd, and the grunts of the fighters.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aw, c’mon, let me see!” he exclaimed, trying to make his way past people, but ultimately failing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Caspar, are you watching?!” Dimitri had a wide smile on his face, and his fists were balled up in excitement. “This is amazing!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Adding insult to injury</span>
  </em>
  <span>, thought Caspar. He was tired, bored and now he couldn’t see what was going on. “Oh, no. I am not going to miss this.” He took some steps backwards, preparing to lunge himself at the crowd, he didn’t care. “That’s it! Get out of the way or be run through!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thanks to his scream, the people turned to watch him run towards them, and they all opened a path for him. Caspar lunged and crashed onto the ground, as there was no one to receive his hit. He rolled through the floor and managed to knock someone who was there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ow! What the hell!” Balthus said when he suddenly lost footing, face planting into the ground with force.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everybody went silent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Caspar…” Marianne’s low, apologetic voice called from behind the crowd. “Oh no.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Balthus rolled over to look at the one who made him trip. “Who the hell are—oh! You’re the bros from above.” The nickname was very Balthus-like, but it was said because he didn’t quite remember their names. He didn’t know all of them, just Dimitri personally since he fought with him before. “What are you guys doing here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We were wondering what was going on, since before we left the monastery, everybody seemed to be too bored,” Dimitri replied, walking through the open space. “What are you doing here, Balthus?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just a little fighting ring, I need some money and everybody here loves watching me fight!” He stood up without checking to see if his current challenger was going to keep fighting. “What’s up with you, little guy?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We wanted to see what was happening,” Caspar said, standing up too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Marianne approached them, she was embarrassed, but she went closer whatsoever. “Caspar.” Her voice was shaking and Marianne looked like she was about to cry. “I think you should participate in the ring.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Balthus and Dimitri, as well as almost all of the spectators shouted a “What?!” when they heard her mention that. Some of them didn’t know her, but it was so uncharacteristically of Marianne to propose violence of any sort. For the ones that didn’t know her at all, they just thought that giving the chance to someone so small was silly. He would lose immediately.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s actually a nice idea!” said Caspar, dusting himself off. He turned towards the current contestant, a guy that was easily two feet taller than him, and looked like he could take Balthus in a fair fight. “I hope you don’t mind me stepping in.” He tossed some coins to one of the bouncers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uhh… no offense, little guy, but do you really think you’re gonna be able to—” he was instantly shut up and knocked out cold by a strong punch from Caspar.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite being short, he always was very strong. He was able to fight lots of people, even some of the strongest fighters the students and professor Byleth had encountered. It was a no-brainer for him to participate in the ring. Caspar knew that Balthus was really strong, thanks to what Dimitri had told them about their adventures in the abyss. It would be a cure for his boredom too, so there was no chance he wasn’t fighting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Balthus laughed at the scene. He was very impressed with Caspar. “Ah, that Linhardt guy told me he had a brawler friend, I take it that it’s you, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Linhardt told me about you too!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That surprised Balthus, he didn’t think he would have a fan like Caspar. “That’s perfect! And you knocked that guy out cold too!” He stretched his arms, feeling the warmth of the Fódlan sun on his bare upper body. “Tell you what,” he said, walking towards the bouncer whom he had tossed the coin to. “I’ll let you fight me for free.” He had already paid, but that was not important now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No way!” one of the spectators screamed, “I’m definitely betting on Balthus now, just look at that guy, he’s half his size!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then, another spectator joined in. “I don’t know… did you see that punch? He definitely has a chance against the King of Grappling!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, the whole crowd began cheering once more, going louder now. There was no doubt that people all the way up to the third floor of the Monastery would be able to hear them. Everybody wanted to see fights and they needed to see Balthus go down, this was the ultimate pass time now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would you look at that, they’re all cheering for you, man!” There was a big smile on Balthus’ mouth as he took a combat stance. “I hope you do know how to fight!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Caspar smiled, taking a similar combat stance. He hoped he looked powerful, because he was certain that due to his height, he wouldn’t look that intimidating. “I hope </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Balthus lunged immediately, but he was dodged with lightning fast speed. His expression denoted sudden shock by the fact that he didn’t find his mark. He quickly turned around with a sweep kick that was dodged once more. Balthus’ mouth ended up wide open. This was unbelievable, how could someone dodge his attacks with such ease?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The King wasn’t someone to lose his cool that quickly, but it was to be expected after knocking everybody out with a few punches and then seeing Caspar eluding each of his hits so swiftly and skillfully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On the other end, Caspar </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> a person to launch himself into battle head-on and without thinking twice, but he knew that he just couldn’t do that here, regardless of if it was just a friendly battle or not. Granted, Caspar felt a little weird now that he had to take his time gauging his foe, but he supposed it would be good practice for the future, even if he knew he probably would continue being careless with his fighting style.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He threw a punch that connected to Balthus’ ribs, it made the much taller man wince and double over, yet another hit to his confidence. “Ow!” Came the grunt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the same moment, receiving that hit allowed him to use his knee and deliver a bow to Caspar’s stomach. Both attacks resounded through the crowd, emphasizing the power the two of them had.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The crowd was going even more insane now. People started pushing each other then, trying to see what was going on inside the ring. Obscenities, cheers, insults and everything else was being yelled too. The Monastery had effectively been transformed into a huge fighting ring.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But Balthus and Caspar didn’t mind that. They continued fighting each other with everything they had. With the King of Grappling becoming more reckless by the moment, and the student growing more careful. It seemed like roles were reversed, since as a war monk, and his training in Kupala, Balthus learned to measure the situation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another hit came from Caspar towards Balthus’ abs, not even the defined and thick muscles he had were able to soften the blow, he got the air punched out of him, so he had to double down and roll away to catch his breath. Nevertheless, Caspar didn’t let up, and he ran to kick him. Balthus knew there was no way to avoid this, so he did the only thing he could do, kick him too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two of them went crashing through the floor by the power of the blows, but they were still conscious. They gave each other a look that said nothing and everything at the same time, followed with a smile that showed more happiness that they’ve never shown before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They got up quickly, running towards each other and going all out. There was no need to dodge anything now, they held their ground and remained there, taking every hit that they gave to the other. It was amazing that they would resist so much, hardly anyone would be able to take such powerful hits.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By then, the crowd was an explosive mass of unintelligible sounds. Part of it was cheering for Balthus and the other for Caspar, but everybody was together to see an amazing fight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Balthus could have defeated the student after a little while, if it only weren’t for the exertion that was taking its toll now. After beating a lot of students, he was bound to get tired soon, but he wasn’t expecting it to be right when the crowd was the most excited. He knew that he would start losing his edge sometime, but he believed that it would be when the crowd got bored of fighting. That would have been until the evening, even though Balthus knew that that was a really long stretch.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their faces were all swollen, and bruises started appearing that quickly yet the two of them continued fighting. There were certain stakes that made the two of them not want to lose: Caspar needed to prove himself after some of the students made fun of him for his height, and Balthus needed to win just so he wouldn’t lose all his bets.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both brawlers prepared their final blows, whoever didn’t dodge would be knocked out cold. They reared their arms, feeling all of their power focus on that single hit that would end everything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They thought that the other would evade and then counter, but as time slowed down and they saw that neither moved, they gave each other a quick smile. The fists connected, the boom echoed through the monastery as both men fell to the ground, unconscious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If the crowd was uncontrollable, then it only intensified now that the fight was over. Every single soul—except for Marianne, who could only look at the fight with her hands clasped and muttering a silent prayer—screamed as if their lives depended on it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hell yeah!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, who wins if both were knocked out?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aw man, does this mean I lost all my money?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No way, I want a refund, I paid for Balthus and he’s out so technically he lost.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everybody was raging, different takes of what happened sounded all around, but the general consensus was that the fight was the single most amazing thing that had happened to their lives.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Though the fun would be very short lived, as the noise attracted the only person who wasn’t supposed to. “Excuse me?! What in Sothis’ name is going on here?” Seteth walked amongst the students, his imposing stance petrifying some people, while others barely managed to run away from the scene. “Well? Is someone going to answer me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lord Seteth!” Dimitri intervened, standing in front of him and hoping that his figure would hide at least Caspar from sight. “What are you doing here?” As awkward as ever, that prince.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I believe I have stated my business very clearly, I—” his gaze instantly set on Balthus, who was shirtless, all bruised up, and knocked out cold on the ground. “Mr. Albrecht?” he asked, kneeling next to the brawlers. “Dimitri, help me carry them back to professor Manuela’s office right now!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Busy Fódlan days could go in two ways for someone like Seteth: more work for Lady Rhea, or finding out that the students of the Monastery are behaving like animals. Either way, it’s all part of the job for administration in the Officer’s Academy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Unghhh…”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Caspar’s eyes opened slowly and just for a bit. His whole body hurt like hell, but he was sure that he was in the infirmary.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey there, sport!” Balthus called from the side, bandages on his arms, an eyepatch and gauze on his cheek. “You’re a damn fine brawler.” Maybe those weren’t the exact words you could say to someone that just woke up at the hospital, but that was Balthus’ way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Caspar chuckled, then he winced from the spasms and the pain. “Heh… you’re so good too. I honestly didn’t think that I would last that long.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t think we would knock each other out!” Balthus replied, leaning against his chair. “Seriously, big props to you. You have a lot of skill, and with a little bit more training you could be even better!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You really think so?” He had already sparred once with Catherine, but getting to train more with a specialized brawler would be beyond amazing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve never been more sure in my life, you’ve got some hard fists!” He outstretched his afterwards, bumping it with Caspar’s, but wincing because that was the part that hurt the most. “Hey, let me tell you something.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Caspar lifted his eyebrows. “What is it?” He sat despite the pain in his abdomen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Balthus took two big bags of coins from his belt, shaking them a little so he could hear the sound. “I made good money yesterday, and part of it was thanks to you, so I wanted to thank you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aw, you don’t have to thank me, Balthus. Fighting you was more than enough for me.” Caspar smiled, it was a gesture that felt so sincere and so genuine after so much time. He finally had found someone so strong that made him try to better himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But that’s not everything!” Balthus jumped from his chair, assuming a funny power pose. “I just got the best idea ever. You and me, bro. We could form our own fighting ring and make mad coins, what do you say? Of course, I would split my earnings with you.” He looked to the side to finish his pose, then mumbled, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“90 to 10 ratio, I still gotta pay my bills.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aww, yeah!” Caspar shot up, doing a similar pose. “Get ready for our fists of fury!”</span>
</p>
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